Adjacent to University Park, you will find the Downtown neighborhood. The Downtown neighborhood is home to many restaurants and shops. On top of many of those businesses are apartment buildings. For instance, the Penn Towers, Fairmount East Apartments, or Nicolas Tower Apartments. Apartment buildings like these are not only comfortable, spacious places to live, but they are surrounded by the bustling downtown environment.

If you prefer a more natural neighborhood, you can consider the Orchard Park neighborhood, named after one of the biggest parks in State College, PA. It is a little further from campus, so it is perfect if you would prefer a more residential or quiet neighborhood.

On the other side of campus, is the College Heights neighborhood. It is a historic residential neighborhood that is further from campus and houses many landmarks, such as Hillcrest Ave.

Dining

State College, PA, is full of delicious places to eat. If you are in the mood for a burger, try The Field Burger and Tap. For great Mexican food, try the Yallah Taco. For breakfast, try The Original Waffle Shop or The Naked Egg Café. These places are known for their specialty waffles and specialty eggs, respectively. (But get there early if you want a seat, as the tables fill up quickly on the weekends!)

If you want some pizza, try Faccia Luna. They have a wood-fired oven that makes their pizzas unique. If you are in the mood for Asian food, consider Tadashi since they have a wide selection of sushi and Japanese food.

If you are looking for a simple café to drink your coffee while you work, check out Webster's Bookstore and Café.

Transportation

There are many convenient methods of transportation to help you get around the city of State College or the Penn State campus.

To get around the city and off-campus, you can ride the Centre Area Transportation Authority (CATA) bus. It will take you to local shopping centers, governmental offices, and apartment complexes. Students can ride fare-free.

Additionally, if you need to get around campus, you can use the Campus Shuttle. There are many routes that can get you where you need to go. For short trips, you can use a ride-sharing program like Zimride, which is a network open only to Penn State affiliates that allows you to carpool.

If you would rather bike, you must register your bike with Penn State through its Centre Region Bicycle Registration program.

For trips further away, you can use a car-sharing service. Fleet is the car-sharing service associated with PSU. You can rent a car 14 days or less, or you can do a long-term reservation for an entire semester or year.

If you would rather not drive to your far destination, you can take a bus, such as Fullington, Greyhound, or Megabus.

Additionally, you can also take an Amtrak train. Although the bus or train services are not directly affiliated with Penn State, many students end up using them.

Parking

For PSU students with cars, you will need to purchase a commuter/off-campus permit. These permits are valid during the day on campus (in other words, they are not valid overnight). You can park in the commuter lots and take the shuttle to central campus.

For a day out in State College, there are many places throughout the city where you can park. There is off-street parking in the three major garages: Beaver, Fraser, and Pugh, which charge $1 per hour. (However, they reduce the rate at night to $0.75 an hour after 6 p.m.)

For an off-street parking lot, you can park at the Allen or Beaver Lot for $1.25 an hour for a maximum of five hours. You can also park on the street by any available parking meter for $1.25 an hour. However, street parking is meant to be only short-term and not overnight. Consider parking in a garage if you need to park at night. You can pay these fees with coins, a card, or through the Parkmobile app.

Safety

The Penn State University Park campus is a relatively safe college campus. The most common crimes are property crimes, such as burglary or theft. Still, even in the safest place, it is always important to be aware of your surroundings and to avoid walking anywhere alone, especially at night.

Shopping

There are many places to shop near the Penn State University campus, including stores in the Downtown area. They have everything from pharmacies, like CVS, to markets like McLanahan's Downtown Market. Additionally, there is a Target, Urban Outfitters, H & M, and Music Mart.

Further out from campus, there is the Northland Center. There, you will find stores like Best Buy, TJ Maxx, Walmart, Michael's, Target, Dick's Sporting Goods, and Staples.

To buy groceries, you can go to Wegman's, Weis Market, or GIANT Food Stores.